Guarana

You know those mornings....Where you are dragging your feet getting out of bed because you stupidly spent the weekend camping in the freezing cold on a deflated air mattress?  Where you over-compensated for the bone-chilling ache in your body from said sleeping conditions by heavily lubricating your inner self with alternating boosts of Jager, vodka tonic and Asahi?  No?  Really??  Too specific??  Well let me re-try...

You know those mornings... Where its MONDAY?? 

Those mornings need a shot of Guarana. 

But, if like me, you stupidly decided to combine the mere horror of it being Monday with a 3am pledge to give up caffeine (might be why I was awake making stupid decisions at such a god-awful time), alcohol (I think that was after the 4th Jager shot) and sugar (hell, why not, I have already removed any reason for living) then you can't just head to the fridge for one of those skinny cans (not gonna mention any names unless they throw money at me and even then I will have to refuse - see beginning of paragraph).

This situation calls for a shot of Guarana tunes.  Music that will speed the pulse, send energy through your veins.  Basically, music that will give you that pep-up that only the goodness of guarana and caffeine can do (but without the nasty 4pm crash).

Now, don't be silly. Ease into it gently. I mean, wasn't it just you that caught yourself singing along to Paramore's "The Only Exception"? on commercial radio (see the effects caffeine withdrawal can have on the system? Scary!).  So maybe start off with a bit of "Unspoken" by Weezer.  This gives you the perfect combo of singalong easy lyrics with a bang at the end to perfectly transition into "Brad Logan" by Rancid.  Now capitalise on the increase of your heartbeat with a bit of "Rip it Up" by 28 Days and you are off to a flying start.

Mix in some drum and base via Pendulum (eg "Propane Nightmare" or "Watercolour").  Sprinkle in some Billy Talent ("Red Flag", "Fallen Leaves", "Rusted from the Rain"), some Bad Religion ("Meeting of the Minds").  Maybe some Grinspoon ("Tonight", "Lost Control") or even some Jamie T ("Sticks N Stones") and some more Rancid ("You Want It, You Got It").  And just for good measure, chuck on "Buy Me a Pony" by Spiderbait (which has the added bonus of only being 1.45 mins long so if you ain't digging it, at least it will be over soon)

No doof this time - much as I love my doof, it tends to have a more erratic beat. We are seeking consistent, regular stimulant here.  Just don't hit the Jay Z/Linkin Park "Points of Authority/99 Problems" button - we don't want you arriving at work ready to punch your boss.  If that does accidentally happen, immediately hit play on "Bring Night" by Sia - it is impossible to feel anything but bubbles of joy when listening to that song and you are guaranteed to arrive at work floating on a contentedness cloud, albeit while shaking from caffeine, sugar and grog withdrawal...

Now, off to bloody make some more green tea...